Songs from Califa

Product Notes

REVIEWS***** Scott's songs, the videos, his sense of humor and fun, the relevance of his lyrics, the way he looks and sounds, the whole package --- is just stunningly brilliant! I'm thrilled and proud and in awe... A real artist, a ground breaker. Someone everyone should know about. I will be buying these tunes. God, it's the music I've been searching for, have stopped listening to music because I couldn't find -- I can't say enough about how great I think this is. I'll pass it on to others as well. Congratulations. ****** Just a little word of mine about Songs from califa...I have found it excellent. And your CD is very original my column will be released in our issue 42 (november 2009) my favorites songs : 'What we don't have', 'this is now' 'jack rabbit' and 'barking at the moon'...Why not an interview in LE MAGUE later ? best wishes, (highlands magazine) PARIS 75009 FRANCE ***** LOVE the CD's. Scott Monahan's music is MY KIND OF MUSIC! Love it ... ***** We have been quite impressed with the music from Scott Monahan. I was wondering...does he perform on the tour circle? ***** Your songs are beautiful. They are very real. They are also emotionally both very uplifting and very heavy in places. ***** love all the tunes, especially Barking At The Moon, but I knew that one from Sony Days. All GREAT though! The videos are cute and clever -- nice eye candy. Everything really well done and from the heart. ***** The CD comes in nice digipack. Very good songwriting, a sort of folkmusic. Scotts voice is nice. And the version of Jack Rabbit is very interesting and brilliant. A great CD. b...Germany ***** Got the iTunes tracks - thanks! They are magnificent! GOING CALIFORNIA, GETTING TO CALIFA These days, singer/songwriters come along like cars off of an assembly line. Wait a second-given the state of things in Detroit, that may not be a great analogy. The point being that there is a speed and sameness about a lot of the people trying to create music that leaves the avid music-lover wanting for songs that have a little more substance to them. Things like melodies that seduce the ear, lyrics that actually mean something, and that unmistakable but hard-to-define element known as 'craft.' But it takes a craftsman to infuse a song with that gift. That's where Scott Monahan comes in. Scott is cut from a cloth you can't buy anymore. He arrived in California in1980 with $400, a Fender Rhodes, and a dream. The dream propelled him to become a member of the budding music scene along with other kindred souls from bands as diverse as Jackson Browne's, Fleetwood Mac, and Walter Egan of "Magnet and Steel" fame. Those were heady times when being in a band provided introductions to people who would change your life forever. It was during those exciting and promising times that Scott's experiment in going California took a very literal turn when he met Randy California of Spirit and Jimi Hendrix fame. What began with Scott contributing keyboards, vocals, and guitar work on Randy's solo project in London resulted in Scott joining Randy in the seminal California band of it's time, Spirit. Scott's run with that magical band ended with Randy's tragic death in 1997. It was then that Scott was reacquainted with the age-old maxim that every loss brings a gain. So though Scott lost Spirit, the band, he never lost the spirit that burned within him to create music. It was that energy that fueled Scott's entry into the world of scoring music for film and television. Placing a song in the feature film The Eye of the Storm connected him with a composer who engaged Scott as a co-contributor on hundreds of projects over the next decade. And though the quality of his work qualified for Emmy recognition, Scott started to feel something was missing. That 'something' was writing music inspired by his muse, not the needs of a script. And the result is the CD Songs from Califa. Scott brought in just the right musicians to help realize his vision: Electric guitarist Zeke Zirngiebel and pedal steel guitarist Dave Pearlman. Both players have an impressive resume and the feel these songs called for. He enlisted multiple Emmy-award winning singer/songwriter Janis Liebhart to provide background vocals, while tapping into her deep reservoirs of insight to assist with lyrics and production and mixes. And when he needed a unique sound to finish the track You Got Lazy, Scott snagged Danny Jacob to contribute the funky licks that became his calling card while playing with George Michael and Tower of Power, and Land Richards, who's played with just about every top chart maker in recent history, on drums. Everything else you hear on this CD comes from Scott: keyboards, acoustic guitar, and most of all, his voice. It's what makes Songs from Califa what it is--a way to get back to music that means something. 'Califa' is the street Scott lives on, his home. When you hear this CD, may it provide you with something special, too-your own way home. Michael Raysses.

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Credits

REVIEWS***** Scott's songs, the videos, his sense of humor and fun, the relevance of his lyrics, the way he looks and sounds, the whole package --- is just stunningly brilliant! I'm thrilled and proud and in awe... A real artist, a ground breaker. Someone everyone should know about. I will be buying these tunes. God, it's the music I've been searching for, have stopped listening to music because I couldn't find -- I can't say enough about how great I think this is. I'll pass it on to others as well. Congratulations. ****** Just a little word of mine about Songs from califa...I have found it excellent. And your CD is very original my column will be released in our issue 42 (november 2009) my favorites songs : 'What we don't have', 'this is now' 'jack rabbit' and 'barking at the moon'...Why not an interview in LE MAGUE later ? best wishes, (highlands magazine) PARIS 75009 FRANCE ***** LOVE the CD's. Scott Monahan's music is MY KIND OF MUSIC! Love it ... ***** We have been quite impressed with the music from Scott Monahan. I was wondering...does he perform on the tour circle? ***** Your songs are beautiful. They are very real. They are also emotionally both very uplifting and very heavy in places. ***** love all the tunes, especially Barking At The Moon, but I knew that one from Sony Days. All GREAT though! The videos are cute and clever -- nice eye candy. Everything really well done and from the heart. ***** The CD comes in nice digipack. Very good songwriting, a sort of folkmusic. Scotts voice is nice. And the version of Jack Rabbit is very interesting and brilliant. A great CD. b...Germany ***** Got the iTunes tracks - thanks! They are magnificent! GOING CALIFORNIA, GETTING TO CALIFA These days, singer/songwriters come along like cars off of an assembly line. Wait a second-given the state of things in Detroit, that may not be a great analogy. The point being that there is a speed and sameness about a lot of the people trying to create music that leaves the avid music-lover wanting for songs that have a little more substance to them. Things like melodies that seduce the ear, lyrics that actually mean something, and that unmistakable but hard-to-define element known as 'craft.' But it takes a craftsman to infuse a song with that gift. That's where Scott Monahan comes in. Scott is cut from a cloth you can't buy anymore. He arrived in California in1980 with $400, a Fender Rhodes, and a dream. The dream propelled him to become a member of the budding music scene along with other kindred souls from bands as diverse as Jackson Browne's, Fleetwood Mac, and Walter Egan of "Magnet and Steel" fame. Those were heady times when being in a band provided introductions to people who would change your life forever. It was during those exciting and promising times that Scott's experiment in going California took a very literal turn when he met Randy California of Spirit and Jimi Hendrix fame. What began with Scott contributing keyboards, vocals, and guitar work on Randy's solo project in London resulted in Scott joining Randy in the seminal California band of it's time, Spirit. Scott's run with that magical band ended with Randy's tragic death in 1997. It was then that Scott was reacquainted with the age-old maxim that every loss brings a gain. So though Scott lost Spirit, the band, he never lost the spirit that burned within him to create music. It was that energy that fueled Scott's entry into the world of scoring music for film and television. Placing a song in the feature film The Eye of the Storm connected him with a composer who engaged Scott as a co-contributor on hundreds of projects over the next decade. And though the quality of his work qualified for Emmy recognition, Scott started to feel something was missing. That 'something' was writing music inspired by his muse, not the needs of a script. And the result is the CD Songs from Califa. Scott brought in just the right musicians to help realize his vision: Electric guitarist Zeke Zirngiebel and pedal steel guitarist Dave Pearlman. Both players have an impressive resume and the feel these songs called for. He enlisted multiple Emmy-award winning singer/songwriter Janis Liebhart to provide background vocals, while tapping into her deep reservoirs of insight to assist with lyrics and production and mixes. And when he needed a unique sound to finish the track You Got Lazy, Scott snagged Danny Jacob to contribute the funky licks that became his calling card while playing with George Michael and Tower of Power, and Land Richards, who's played with just about every top chart maker in recent history, on drums. Everything else you hear on this CD comes from Scott: keyboards, acoustic guitar, and most of all, his voice. It's what makes Songs from Califa what it is--a way to get back to music that means something. 'Califa' is the street Scott lives on, his home. When you hear this CD, may it provide you with something special, too-your own way home. Michael Raysses.